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☆ In-N-Out owner Lynsi Snyder is expanding the burger chain to two more states and increasing her wealth along the way. Here's how one of the youngest billionaires in the US lives her life.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Rachel Askinasi | Hayley Peterson | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Snyder told "CBS This Morning” that she shies away from interviews intentionally. "We want to do what we do best, and that's serve some good burgers to our customers. It's not about us here — it's about this," she said, pointing to the restaurant behind her. Source: "CBS This Morning"

☆ Wendy's is once again slashing plans for ghost kitchen locations — delivering a blow to struggling Reef Technology
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Wendy's had plans to open 700 locations through ghost kitchen operator Reef Technology. Wendy's Chief Financial Officer Gunther Plosch confirmed the chain's restaurant-growth projection is down as a result of slashing its ghost kitchen strategy. Wendy's said it currently has 16 Reef locations in the UK. At its peak in mid-2021, the SoftBank-backed startup operated more than 330 food trailers in the US and abroad. Jack in the Box ended its ghost kitchen partnership with Reef Technology in 2022.

☆ Chipotle turns viral TikTok food hack into a new quesadilla menu item
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Starting March 2, Chipotle is allowing customers to add fajita veggies to any quesadilla. The permanent new menu item, the Fajita Quesadilla, will be available through Chipotle's app or website. Chipotle said it "saw more than 30.6 million views, 3.7 million likes, 47,200 comments, and 69,500 shares of viral TikTok content about the Steak Quesadilla with Fajita Veggies." The five new permanent quesadilla versions include the steak quesadilla with fajita veggies, the chicken quesadilla with fajita veggies, the barbacoa quesadilla with fajita veggies, the carnitas quesadilla with fajita veggies, and sofritas quesadilla with fajita veggies. The "Fajita Quesadilla Hack," inspired by Frost, is a fajita quesadilla with steak served with roasted chili-corn salsa, tomatillo red-chili salsa, and sour cream on the side.

☆ A new documentary on Subway and Jared Fogle couldn't come at a worse time
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Jared Fogle became Subway's pitchman after losing 245 pounds by mostly eating the chain's subs. A Fogle documentary airing in March is bad timing for Subway as it looks for a buyer, analysts say. Yet, a ghost from Subway's past, Jared Fogle, is returning to haunt America's largest sub chain. The new documentary series promises to reveal the "rise and fall" of the former Subway pitchman who "masqueraded as a national hero while hiding a horrific side." Are you a Subway insider with insight to share?

☆ More than 2 million Cosori air fryers recalled after reports of the kitchen appliances 'catching fire, burning, melting'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A California company is recalling 2 million Cosori air fryers, US product safety officials announced Thursday. The recalled air fryers were reported as "catching fire, burning, melting." "Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled air fryers and contact Cosori to receive their choice of a free replacement air fryer or another Cosori product," the commission said. The agency said a "wire connection in the air fryers can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards." About 2 million of the air fryers have been sold in the US, while about 250,000 were sold in Canada and 21,000 in Mexico.

☆ Costco's new roast beef sandwich costs as much as 6 of the retailer's hot dogs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Costco's food court is known for cheap fast-food staples such as $1.50 all-beef hot dogs. But some are balking at the price of the $9.99 roast beef sandwich. Many hard-core warehouse fans complained it was too expensive for Costco's food court, known for cheap fast-food staples such as $1.50 all-beef hot dogs and $10 whole pizzas. It is made with sliced roast beef, onion relish, a mayonnaise and mustard blend, lettuce, and roasted cherry tomatoes and served on a hoagie-style roll. When asked about the status of the roast beef sandwich, a food court worker answering the phone at the Lynnwood warehouse said 29 were left.

☆ A Chick-fil-A in North Carolina is accused of writing a racial slur on an order slip. The chain called it a 'misspelling' of the customer's name.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Chick-fil-A customer in North Carolina said her daughter's order slip contained a racial slur. A Facebook post regarding the incident has gone viral, with more than 660 comments. The meal, she said, was returned with a racial slur on the order slip attached to the cup and the takeout bag. Some supported Jackson and her daughter and accused Chick-fil-A of supporting a culture of bigotry. In 2018, Taco Bell reportedly fired a cashier who was accused of writing a racial slur on a customer's receipt in Pennsylvania.

☆ Menu photos created using generative AI could convince customers to order more from restaurants
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Generative AI is now being used to create menu photos when restaurants lack images. Since its January 19 launch, it has generated 175 million AI photos, he said. Julie Zucker, a partner and chief marketing officer at Branded Hospitality Ventures, said "mouth-watering" food photos may certainly drive a guest to order. The food tech VC firm, which also runs a string of restaurants in New York, invests in startups that solve problems for restaurants. If restaurants lack food photos, DoorDash said it offers complimentary photo shoots.

☆ Subway envisions an oasis where diners can picnic and play while charging their cars
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

On Tuesday, the chain announced plans to build EV charging stations at select restaurants in the US. 'Subway Oasis' parks will have charging stations, picnic tables, Wi-Fi, and playgrounds. Dubbed Subway Oasis, the EV parks will be outfitted with "charging canopies with multiple ports, picnic tables, Wi-Fi, restrooms, green space, and even playgrounds," the chain said Tuesday. Subway joins Taco Bell as one of the first fast-food chains to announce plans to add public EV charging stations to restaurants. Subway did not specify how much it would cost consumers to charge their cars at their new charging stations.

☆ Chipotle is launching Farmesa, a spinoff selling 'California-inspired' bowls of salmon, whipped potatoes, quinoa, and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Chipotle is launching a virtual restaurant brand featuring "California-inspired" bowls. The virtual restaurant makes its debut later this month in a ghost kitchen in Santa Monica, California. Farmesa will operate at the Kitchen United Mix food hall at Third Street Promenade, a tourist-heavy outdoor retail center in Santa Monica. Kitchen United is a Pasadena, California-based ghost kitchen operator with locations all over the US. Chipotle's new concept, Farmesa, is opening later this month at ghost kitchen/food hall Kitchen United Mix.

☆ Marc Lore co-founded Jet.com and ran e-commerce at Walmart. Now he's out to prove he can make the delivery of 'fast fine' restaurant food work in NYC.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Instead of using kitchen vans, Wonder is preparing chef-driven meals from a storefront. Lore, who cofounded the e-commerce site Jet.com and sold it to Walmart, had plans to expand Wonder to a fleet of 1,000 kitchen vans. Storefronts can offer consumers up to 30 food brands for delivery from one location, while the van model was limited to two menus per van. ClusterTruck, a Midwest ghost kitchen that controls everything from the food recipes to delivery, is another model similar to Wonder. Still, Lore sees the value of marketing Wonder's food brands on delivery apps.

☆ Subway says it's exploring a sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Samantha Delouya | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Subway said Tuesday that it is exploring a sale of the chain. Last month the WSJ said Subway was up for sale in a deal that could fetch more than $10 billion. "There is no indication of timing or assurance that a sale will occur," the sandwich chain said in a brief statement. Last month, the Wall Street Journal said Subway was exploring a sale that could value the sandwich chain at more than $10 billion. In late January, Subway's late cofounder, Buck, gave his 50% stake in Subway to his foundation, where his two sons work.

☆ Shake Shack agreed to pay $20,000 to an ex-employee who said he was repeatedly asked 'to explain his gender to co-workers'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Shake Shack is a New York fast-food chain known for its premium burgers and custard shakes. An ex-employee in California said he was constantly asked "to explain his gender to co-workers." The state's Civil Rights Department investigated, which led to a $20,000 settlement. "Creating a welcoming and fulfilling environment for all our employees and guests is critical," a Shake Shack spokesperson told Insider in a statement. Shake Shake is a fast food chain that sells burgers, fries, and custard shakes.

☆ TikTokers are roasting McDonald's hilarious drive-thru AI order fails — and it shows that robots won't take over restaurants any time soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Another TikToker generated 97,000 views on a post, where she explained how "robots are taking over the world" and they're messing up her McDonald's order. She said the voice bot put 9 sweet teas on her order tab, when she only ordered one sweet tea. In the bot's defense, McDonald's restaurants don't serve Mountain Dew products. Those restaurants still have restaurant workers taking orders, but some McDonald's restaurants have voice bots. Checkers & Rally's, Taco Bell, Sonic, Panera Bread, and Popeyes are testing voice bots in drive-thru lanes.

☆ DoorDash is headed to Super Bowl, pushing its on-demand grocery business again. Here are 7 key moves it is making to dominate retail delivery after conquering restaurants.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

In August 2020, DoorDash launched retail delivery with chains like 7-Eleven and Walgreens. Editor's note: On Sunday, DoorDash is airing its second Super Bowl commercial to promote its grocery delivery business. Lately, DoorDash has its sights set on a new prize — dominance in retail and grocery delivery. "We have more retail stores, grocery included, than any other platform in North America today." DoorDashDoubleDashA year after launching grocery delivery, DoorDash introduced DoubleDash.

☆ Restaurants are now using generative AI to create menu photos that could convince customers to order more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Generative AI is now being used to create menu photos. Lunchbox is using OpenAI's tech for its AI Food Generator. Since its January 19 launch, it has generated 175 million AI photos, he said. Julie Zucker, a partner and chief marketing officer at Branded Hospitality Ventures, said "mouth-watering" food photos may certainly drive a guest to order. If restaurants lack food photos, DoorDash said it offers complimentary photo shoots.

☆ Hundreds of flexitarians are flocking to this vegan burger upstart. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Plant-based burger chain Next Level Burger is backed by Whole Foods. He'd given up red meat in 2010, after his mother died of cancer at 56. Both became early backers of de Gruyter's brand, Next Level Burger, which has grown to nine restaurants in six states. Following a $20 million raise last fall, Next Level Burger opened its 10th location and second restaurant in Seattle in late January. Next Level Burger patties are made of quinoa and mushrooms.

☆ I ate at the fastest-growing restaurant chain in US — the celebrity-backed Dave's Hot Chicken — and saw why it could be unstoppable
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Overall, the jumbo tenders and the graffiti wall murals are the showstoppers at Dave's. The chain's made-to-order foods are prepared with high-quality ingredients. It reminds me of the early days of Shake Shack, one of the best better burger chains in the US. I expect Dave's to grow its fan base as it builds its hot fried chicken empire around the US. Nancy Luna/Insider

☆ Chick-fil-A just unveiled a fried cauliflower sandwich that took 4 years to develop — and it's nothing like the plant-based fast food at rivals like McDonald's
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Plant-based meat sales growth has flattened over the last several months. But, Chick-fil-A is debuting a cauliflower sandwich in three US markets next week. Next week, the Atlanta-based fried chicken chain plans to introduce its first plant-based meal, the Chick-fil-A Cauliflower Sandwich. Chick-fil-A's vegetable sandwich test also comes as demand for plant-based meats has slowed, prompting layoffs at Impossible Foods. "We explored every corner of the plant-based space in search of the perfect centerpiece for our plant-forward entrée," Stuart Tracy, culinary developer of the cauliflower sandwich, said in a statement.

☆ Chipotle customers are finally balking at higher delivery prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In 2021, Chipotle reached $3.4 billion in digital sales. Delivery orders for the latest quarter decreased by 15% amid delivery prices hikes made last year. Chains like Chipotle often mark up menu prices for delivery orders to offset fees paid to third-party delivery operators like DoorDash. In the third quarter of 2022, delivery prices at Chipotle increased 13% compared to the same period in 2021, the company previously told Insider. The same meal costs $11.50 for delivery plus a $1 delivery fee and $3.37 in taxes and service fees.

☆ McDonald's is opening 1,900 restaurants in 2023. Here's what it costs to open a McDonald's restaurant
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Hayley Peterson | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

McDonald's franchise fee is $45,000. But McDonald's restaurants posted average domestic sales of $4 million in 2021, according to the chain's franchise disclosure report for 2022. Initial investment costs for running a McDonald's range from $1.4 million and $2.5 million — including the franchise fee. The rent for most new McDonald's restaurants ranges from 10% of total gross sales to $15.75% for new restaurants that have opened since January 1, 2020. But by mid-December 2022, McDonald's had grown to 13,666 US restaurants, according to preliminary store count data obtained from market research firm Datassential.

☆ Kidney dialysis-related infection rates higher in U.S. minorities -report
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Nancy Lapid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 6 (Reuters) - Preventable bloodstream infections related to kidney failure treatment are more common in U.S. Patients whose kidney function falls below a certain level require a dialysis machine periodically to do the organs' work of cleansing the blood. The highest use of central venous catheters was seen in Black patients ages 18 to 49. Even after accounting for use of these catheters, the risk of S. aureus bloodstream infections was still higher in Hispanics than in whites. There were also more S. aureus bloodstream infections in areas with higher poverty, crowding, and lower education levels.

☆ Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Hints at New Game-Changing Platform
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Italian espresso culture inspired Howard Schultz 40 years ago as he built the Starbucks empire. In his final earnings call, Schultz hinted at a game-changing new "platform" coming to Starbucks later this month. Schultz said will travel to Milan later this month "to introduce something much bigger than any new promotion or beverage." "Eight of the ten highest sales days in our history [were] recorded in the quarter," Schultz said. On February 13, Starbucks plans to change its Starbucks Rewards program.

☆ A Chick-fil-A restaurant's traffic got so bad that city officials ordered it to be demolished and plan to build a new drive-thru-only location
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chick-fil-A restaurants average $8 million a year in sales. The city's solution to the restaurant's traffic-clogging line was to add more drive-thru lanes and eliminate the dining room. The two drive-thru lanes wrap the restaurant, according to the proposal approved by the Charlotte City Council last month. A Chick-fil-A in Charlotte, North Carolina, is being rebuilt as a drive-thru only restaurant to address traffic in the retail center. "Chick-fil-A restaurants in Charlotte always strive to be a good neighbor and have been strong supporters of their local communities."

☆ McDonald's hiked prices and started offering adult Happy Meals — and sales are soaring
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Dominick Reuter | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

McDonald's reported double-digit sales growth for 2022, driven by a 5% increase in customer count. The brand attributed the bump to a combination of higher menu prices and unique promotions, like adult Happy Meals. The Chicago-based fast food giant reported a 10.9% increase in same-store sales for 2022, powered by a blockbuster fourth-quarter increase of 12.6%. Like many companies last year, McDonald's raised prices and widened profit margins, but that didn't deter customers. On the call, Kempczinski told investors the chain is seeing some signs of a pullback in consumer spending.

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